ORLANDO — The Southern Baptist Convention is holding its annual meeting in Orlando, Florida, where delegates are expected to vote on a constitutional amendment that would formally ban churches with women serving as pastors. Delegates at the meeting are also slated to elect a new leader for the denomination.
The proposed amendment would prohibit churches where women hold the office of pastor or function as one, including preaching to the congregation. This marks the fourth consecutive year that church delegates are voting on an amendment regarding women pastors. A constitutional amendment requires a two-thirds voting margin in two consecutive annual meetings to pass. The women pastors amendment has received a majority of votes in each of the past three years but failed to reach the required two-thirds threshold.
Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, is proposing the current amendment. Mohler was a lead author of the 2000 revision to the Baptist Faith and Message, the denomination's statement of belief. Mohler said, "A constitutional amendment would provide clarity and prevent the long and time-consuming debates that the issue has drawn in recent years."
The Baptist Faith and Message opposes women serving as pastors. The denomination has the authority to exclude churches from membership and has previously expelled congregations with women in senior pastoral roles. While the proposed amendment focuses on banning churches with women in pastoral roles, members of the denomination hold varying opinions on churches with women in associate pastoral positions.
Southern Baptist leaders reference biblical passages to support limiting the pastoral role to men. Conversely, advocates for women in pastoral roles reference biblical passages describing women sharing the gospel. Baptist Women in Ministry sponsors a billboard near the convention center that reads, "God calls women to pastor, preach and minister."
Delegates are also scheduled to vote on Wednesday on resolutions condemning antisemitism, calling for the humane treatment of migrants, and affirming immigration enforcement. The denomination is the largest Protestant denomination in the United States. Congregations within the denomination operate independently. The Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, the venue for the current meeting, also hosted the 2000 adoption of the Baptist Faith and Message.